Kyle Long will reportedly go on injured reserve for a 4th straight season

The Bears probably will have a new-look offensive line when they return to work Monday at Halas Hall.

NFL Network reported right guard Kyle Long will likely be placed on injured reserve with a lingering hip issue. It will be the fourth consecutive season in which Long, 30, will be placed on IR.

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Making an injury-based move clears an opening for one of three options — veteran Ted Larsen, if he’s recovered from a minor knee injury, Rashaad Coward or rookie Alex Bars, who is on the practice squad.

It’s doubtful Long will return to play for the Bears this season, meaning last Sunday’s loss to the Raiders in London could be his final game with the franchise that selected him in the first round in 2013.

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Long was a surprising selection as the 20th overall pick in 2013 by general manager Phil Emery, and it turned into an excellent selection. Long was named to the Pro Bowl after each of his first three seasons, getting the nod as an alternate at right tackle in 2015 when he changed positions the week before the season began.

The Bears required Long to accept a pay cut in February when they reduced his pay for the season from $7 million to $4.1 million because injuries had cut into his availability. The hip injury is the latest issue for a player who has struggled with health. The unfortunate thing is he felt good during the offseason in training camp, refreshed because it was the first offseason in three years in which he wasn’t recovering from one surgery or three as he did in 2018.

The result was he was on the field for nearly all of the reps during the spring and over the summer in training camp.

“The last year was really enjoyable, but I didn’t get to fully immerse myself in the enjoyment because I wasn’t fully healthy,” Long said August. “I’ve done every rep in the spring, no days off in camp so far, no feel-good days. I feel great and I am happy. I am happy to around a group of guys — we don’t just have a core nucleus anymore. We have a team, and it is fun to be around.”

It looked like the Bears’ gamble to get at least one more season out of the veteran would pay off. Then a hip injury became just the latest injury he has been forced to work around. He was rested during the Week 4 victory over the Vikings and returned to start against the Raiders, playing all 56 snaps. Long returned from the IR before the playoffs last year. It seems less likely that will be the case this time, even if the Bears reach the postseason.

The Bears can fill Long’s spot on the 53-man roster with Bars, the undrafted rookie from Notre Dame. The team increased his pay on the practice squad during Week 5 to make it commensurate to a rookie on the 53-man roster to entice him to pass on an opportunity to join the Patriots. Teams cannot make roster moves on Sundays, so we will see if the club has official news on Monday.